Escape from the Heart
by Elviah
Summary: Avery York was found passed out on a sidewalk by Barry Allen on a cold November evening. When Team Flash met her, they realized they might be getting more than they bargained for when they discover that she has not one, but three different superpowers at her disposal.
1. Chapter 1

It was over.

They were gone.

Of all the moments in time she wished she could reverse, this one surpassed them all.

A chilled November wind sent a shiver down Avery York's spine, and she hugged herself tighter, trying to ignore the pain.

Which pain? The biting cold on her hands where she could no longer feel her fingertips? Or the throbbing within her chest that was slowly tearing her heart apart?

 _What have I done?_

If she was smart, she would've already changed into something furrier by now, but the mere thought of shape-shifting made her physically ill. Not only was she suffering from what was likely hypothermia, but her mind was trapped. Stuck in a void that was the moment she couldn't return to.

There was no going back.

It was done.

Her boots slowly shuffled along the cement sidewalk as she dragged her body forward. A frost-tipped leaf twirled in front of her arms, floating in the air before a breeze pushed it sideways towards the edge of the lake. It dropped suddenly, catching in a crevice between two large boulders, before another breeze lifted it up and carried it over the water. The leaf sank through the air, landing on the surface of the lake and sending tiny ripples to the shore.

 _Where am I?_

Lifting her azure eyes, Avery couldn't recognize her surroundings. How long had she been walking? Heavy clouds rolled overhead, a gust of frozen wind marking the coming of winter. Her normally acute nose was stuffy and cold, and her eyes were blurred with tears. The plume of white air in front of her mouth was the only sign that she was warm enough to keep breathing.

 _It's my fault they're gone…it's my fault._

The anthem played over and over, giving her no relief from her thoughts. Her trembling body was moving. To where, she didn't know, but her weary mind could at least focus on that – movement. Away from there. Away from that place, from that tower.

 _The Tower._

Everything had started and ended for Avery in the Titans Tower. The place she had found a real family. The place she had called home. The place she had discovered what falling in love felt like.

But now?

It was gone.

All of it.

 _I knew I couldn't trust him, but everything he said sounded so true…_

"That _liar_!" Avery screamed, her curled hand slashing at the air in front of her body. A spark of fury lit in her gut, calling forth the powers within her veins. The motion brought a gust of air sweeping against the cement and any debris nature had left behind was immediately ignited. Startled, Avery jumped back. She had momentarily forgotten that her powers extended beyond normal shape-shifting. Wind and fire were also at her beck and call.

She shook her head.

 _No…not ever again. I'm never using those powers again._

Try as she might, Avery could not erase the images from her mind. The flames surrounding the base of the Tower, a fire she had put there…the windows shattering as the flames climbed higher…the screams from her teammates trapped inside…the monster that had convinced her to –

Avery halted, her hands grasping the sides of her head.

 _No! No, stop, please…_

"Please make it stop," she sobbed quietly, the tears freezing as soon as they left her eyes. Her whole body shuddered as Avery collapsed to her knees. The cold air was welcoming, and helped numb the pain that coursed through her.

"I'm sorry," she cried, her voice a hoarse whisper. "I'm so sorry."

Slowly, her vision faded to black.


	2. Chapter 2

Regaining consciousness brought…warmth? It was the end of November, the outdoors were not –

 _Wait, who's voice was that?_

"And you found this girl out there?"

"Yea, she was just lying on the sidewalk. I almost thought she was dead from how cold she was."

"From the amount of frostbite that was on her body, it's a miracle she's still alive."

Keeping her eyes closed, Avery inhaled slowly, breathing in as many scents as she could without raising alarm that she was awake. She was inside a building of some sort. A hospital, maybe? There was an assortment of medicinal smells. She was laying on a bed that had one too many pillows. Something was sticking to her nose. A breathing tube?

 _Definitely a hospital._

She considered opening her eyes, but then the voices started talking again.

"But here's what I can't explain. The frostbite is gone, like her body regenerated the damaged cells."

"What, like how Barry does?"

"Yea, exactly like Barry."

"You think she's a meta?"

Avery's heart skipped a beat.

 _A meta? What does that mean?_

"It's possible."

"Well, obviously, I mean look at her hair. Normal teenage girls do not have grayish misty-ish colored hair like that."

The voices fell silent for a moment.

"Really, Cisco? You think she's a meta because of her _hair_?"

"Unless you guys have any better ideas, yes, I'm calling it because of the hair."

If she had known the owner of the voice, Avery probably would've let out a snort of laughter. As it was, not knowing where she was or who was around her was making her skin crawl.

"Guys…her vitals just peaked."

Avery's muscles tensed, her blood beginning to flow faster. Whatever these people were planning to do with her, she did not intend to stick around for it.

"I think she can hear us."

 _Better move fast._

With a shriek, Avery shoved herself up from the bed, tearing every tube from her skin. A pole tipped over, shattering the lightbulb on the mattress. Pulling her feet back and propelling into an upright position, she observed her surroundings in seconds. Five people surrounded the bed, two of which were definitely father and daughter based on the smell of their blood. One woman was wearing a white lab coat, one guy was in street clothes, and one guy was in some strange red suit.

As soon as the lightbulb had shattered, Avery sprang from the edge of the bed with a roar, transforming mid-air into wolf form. All five of the strangers jumped back.

"What the hell?!" the older gentleman yelled.

Avery landed abrasively on the slick floors, her paws sliding around. Her back end slammed into a rolling chair, shoving it onto a shelving unit and causing it to topple over and shatter on the floor. Despite all the yelling that ensued, Avery only had eyes for the door. With an angry snarl, she bolted, running through the door into a larger room that had a widespread computer monitor in the middle. She spotted a hallway, and immediately charged for it. Using the doorframe for leverage, Avery leapt from the frame to the nearby wall and down the curved hallway towards what she hoped was the exit. When she saw the elevator, a flutter of hope rose in her chest.

 _A way out of here!_

Suddenly, a streak of red zipped past her, and Avery skid to a stop, realizing that the one in the strange red suit from the other room was now standing in front of her.

 _How did he beat me here?_

Baring her teeth, Avery snarled at him, taking a step forward and snapping her jaws together.

"Hey, hey, hey! Hold on! We're not trying to hurt you!" he said in a rushed manner, holding his hands out in front of himself.

Avery's eyes narrowed, the snarl never ceasing. The guy in front of her let out an exasperated sigh.

"Ok, you don't believe me, I get it, but just listen to me for a second," he said. The young man paused a moment, seemingly studying Avery for her reaction. When he spoke again, it was in a softer tone. "You wake up in some weird room in a place you don't recognize and the people there are talking about you. You're scared, I get it."

Avery wasn't sure she wanted to believe this stranger, but his calming voice did help soothe some of the fear in her veins. He looked a few years older than her, his brown hair being parted to the right side. The suit he was wearing had a lightning symbol on the chest.

 _Who is this guy?_

A shout from down the hallway rekindled the fear in her system.

"Barry!"

Avery whirled around, the fur on her hackles rising. She snarled a fierce warning at the newcomer, the older African American gentleman who had sworn at her earlier. In his hands, he held a gun – pointed right at her. Avery's eyes widened.

"Joe, no!"

A gunshot rang out, but before she could even lift a paw off the floor, Barry was standing in front of her with the bullet in his hand. For a brief instance, Avery recalled that red streak had appeared in her peripheral vision again.

 _That was Barry? He's a speedster?_

"What the hell was that for?"

"That girl just turned into a wolf and _attacked_ us, Barry."

"She's _scared_ , Joe, look at her. You would be too if you woke up somewhere you didn't recognize with people you didn't know."

They both turned around to look at her. Barry gave her a sympathetic nod whereas Joe still seemed wary. Avery didn't know what to think at this point, but she knew one thing was for sure. Someone needed to give her answers. Now.

Closing her eyes, Avery willed herself to shift back to human form. When she opened them again, she wasn't surprised to see Joe's expression had shifted to one of guilt. She pushed herself up off the ground, standing upright, and for a moment, nobody said a word.

"Exactly how old are you?" Joe asked hesitantly, tucking his gun into its holster.

"15," Avery replied curtly.

"Oh my god," he muttered quietly, seemingly absorbed by shock. Judging by his appearance, Avery guessed he was a cop. She'd never met a cop who had willingly fired a gun at a teenager before, but he probably hadn't met a shapeshifter before either.

Barry approached Avery, slowly reaching out his hand.

"We just want to help."

Avery hesitated, but nodded and followed Barry back into the room with the monitoring computer. The other three people, the younger man and the two women, were standing on the far side of the room in a heated discussion. Avery failed to catch any of their words though, since they all silenced as soon as she walked in.

"You guys ok?" Joe asked.

The woman wearing the lab coat nodded. "We're fine."

The young man next to her was bouncing on his heels, his eyes glued to Avery. "Are you kidding? That was totally awesome!" He rushed up to her like an excited puppy, the words just flying off his tongue. "You're a shapeshifter, and that's totally cool, but if its ok with you, could I maybe run some tests to see how your powers work and maybe figure out how you got them?"

"Cisco, relax," Barry reprimanded, an amused grin on his lips. "We still have to fill her in on what's going on."

"That would be nice," Avery muttered, casting Cisco a confused glance.

He bowed his head in agreement, backing away from her, though the excitement never left his face. Barry guided Avery to the center of the room to join the circle of people. The young woman in the lab coat spoke first.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Avery York. Who are you guys?"

Barry responded first, motioning around the room to each person as he formally introduced them. "We are Team Flash. You're in Star Labs in Central City. I'm Barry. This is Joe, Cisco, and Caitlin."

"It's nice to meet you, Avery," Caitlin said, giving her a warm smile.

Being able to put names with faces made Avery feel a little bit better, but she still had so many questions. She glanced up at Barry.

"So you're a speedster," she said, more as a statement than a question.

The others looked around the room in surprise.

"You've met one before?" Joe asked, a tinge of strain in his voice.

Avery glanced down, shuffling her feet uncomfortably. A brief memory of Speedy flashed in her mind, but she quickly shut it out. Lingering in the past would only cause her to break down, and she barely even knew these people yet. "I've worked with one before, but it's been a few years."

"Where did you find another speedster?" Cisco asked, his face scrunched in confusion.

"Jump City."

"Jump – you came all the way from Jump City?" Joe's stunned expression spoke volumes. "That's more than 600 miles away. How did you get here?"

Avery shrugged. "I…don't know. The last thing I remember was walking along a lake."

"That's where Barry found you," Caitlin pointed out, and Avery nodded.

Cisco shifted his weight, crossing his arms across his chest. "I probably shouldn't be asking this just yet, but why did you leave?" The question stuck in his throat when she lifted her gaze to meet his. The searing pain in her eyes was…intense.

The silence was shattered by Barry, who gently placed a hand on Avery's shoulder. "We'll worry about that later, Cisco."

Caitlin stepped forward, meeting Avery's gaze. "I would imagine someone who's been sleeping for the last 12 hours is a bit hungry." Her suggestion was a way to leave the room, and Avery eagerly took advantage of it. Caitlin smiled, reaching out her hand. "Come on. I'll show you where we can find some food."

Avery nodded, and followed her out of the room. As soon as the two girls were gone, the remaining three huddled together.

"What do you guys think?" Joe asked.

"Besides the fact that she is a shapeshifter, which, by the way, is totally awesome?" Cisco said with a grin. It quickly faded though as he recalled the expression on her face. "I don't really know."

"How is that girl only 15 years old and she's out here by herself? She must have parents or a family who are looking for her, right?" Joe asked, not quite expecting an answer.

"There's a lot we don't know about her, but I don't think she's a threat. I think she's running from something," Barry stated.

"Well, there's one way to find out." Cisco approached the computer, sliding into one of the chairs. "Avery…York…" he muttered, his fingers tapping the screen. When no results were found, he frowned. "That's weird. I'm not finding anything in the system."

"Can you look at the Jump City database?" Barry suggested.

"Gimme just a second..." After a minute, Cisco shook his head. "Still nothing."

"That's impossible. We've got a meta here with no record of being human at one point?" Joe asked incredulously.

"Not that I can find, and I'm pretty dang good at finding information," Cisco bragged.

"Unless the name she gave us isn't her real name and she's lying to us," Joe suggested, but he seemed reluctant.

"I doubt it," Barry noted, echoing Joe's hesitation. "But if we want to learn anything else about her, we need to get her to trust us first."

There was a collective nod of agreement. A beep from Joe's pocket caused him to pull out his phone.

"I gotta get to CCPD. We'll talk more about this later," he said.

"Alright. I'll catch up with you guys later," Barry said, waving as the two walked out.

He and Cisco stood together in silence for a few moments, until Cisco started chuckling to himself.

"What's so funny?" Barry asked, raising a brow.

"There is never a boring day for Team Flash," Cisco stated with a grin.

Barry snorted with amusement. "You said it."


	3. Chapter 3

In the back room of Star Labs, Avery sat on top of a metal table, munching on a slice of leftover cheese pizza with Caitlin standing nearby. Much like her previous companion, Avery stuck to a strictly vegetarian diet.

Caitlin took a couple steps towards Avery while she ate, causing the girl to cast her a wary glance. "I know you don't trust any of us yet, Avery, and that's ok. Would you mind if I just asked you a couple questions?" Her voice was gentle, yet inquisitive.

Eyeing her figure, Avery swallowed the piece in her mouth. "You're a scientist?" she asked.

Caitlin nodded.

"What do you want to know?"

"How old are you?"

Avery raised a brow at her, expecting a more complex question. "15," she answered.

Caitlin's expression clouded. "Where are your parents?"

 _And there it is._

"Dead. They were murdered when I was 4 years old," Avery said flatly. "I don't remember much about them anymore." Caitlin wasn't sure how to respond, but Avery spoke again before she could. "That's not what you wanted to ask me though."

Caitlin sighed. "I don't want to rush you. The damage to your body when you came here was severe. It's clear you've been through a lot."

Avery cast her a skeptical look. "Why do you care about me? You don't even know me."

Caitlin smiled. She wanted to reach out and put a hand on the girl's shoulders, but she opted to wait a little longer. "That's what we do here at Star Labs. We fight crime and help people." She was silent a moment, the only sound in the room being Avery's chewing. "I didn't mean to rush you out of there, but Cisco can be a bit… passionate at times. I didn't want you to be overwhelmed by all the new faces."

Avery nodded in agreement. "I appreciate that," she admitted quietly. Downing the last bite of her first slice, Avery reached for her second. "So, tell me about Team Flash. Where did all of you come from?"

Caitlin turned around, putting her hands on the edge of the table and leaning against it. "Cisco and I have been here since Star Labs began. We work with Dr. Wells, who I'm sure you'll meet soon enough. He's usually in the facility somewhere."

Avery nodded to indicate she was listening while continuing to munch away.

"Barry came to us after the particle accelerator explosion, and was in a coma for nine months. His mother was murdered by a speedster when he was 11, but his father took the blame and is still in prison for it."

Avery paused, looking intently at Caitlin as she heard the story.

"Barry grew up with Joe and Iris, and ever since he became the Flash, Joe and the CCPD have been working alongside him to help fight crime in Central City. We do most of the behind the scenes work here."

Avery pondered the story for a moment, noting a few small connections between her story and Barry's. There was one question on her mind that she couldn't shake.

"You guys were talking about "metas" earlier. What does that mean?" she asked.

"Meta-humans. Those that have powers like Barry, and yourself," Caitlin explained.

"What do you guys normally do with the metas you find?"

Caitlin hesitated, and Avery's expression clouded. "You guys kill them, don't you?" she asked gravely.

"No! Oh gosh, no," Caitlin exclaimed, shocked that killing was Avery's first thought. It was such a dark thought for a 15-year-old girl. "The metas we've met so far have all been criminals, so we constructed holding cells within the pipeline of the particle accelerator to hold them until we figure out another option."

Avery nodded, not really comforted by the thought of being stuck in a cage. She was oblivious to the woman's discomfort of her initial question.

Caitlin cast her a look that appeared almost offended. "We're not murderers, Avery. We would never purposefully kill another human, meta or not."

Avery froze, her blood running cold.

 _I would. I've done it before._

Glancing down, she could almost see the splatters of blood that had stained her hands only days prior. The crunching of bones and the excruciating shout from a dying man that deserved much more than –

"Avery!"

She jumped, her head whipping up to see Caitlin standing a couple feet away. She was staring at her wide-eyed with her arms held out in front of her.

"Look at me, Avery. Take a deep breath. You're ok," Caitlin said in a partially composed voice, fear plastered on her face.

 _Fear of what?_

Looking down, Avery realized her flaring emotions had caused her hands to start the pizza slice on fire. Closing her fingers into a fist, all traces of the fire vanished, and Avery set the charred plate back down on the table.

"Sorry," she muttered, embarrassed that she had scared Caitlin like that and furious that her body had reacted using powers she swore to never use again. "I didn't mean to."

Caitlin lowered her hands, moving closer to the girl. "It's ok, Avery. You don't have to apologize." She walked over and picked up the plate. "You can control fire?"

Avery sighed, burying her face in her hands.

 _She wants to know about my powers._

"I can control fire and wind, as well as shapeshift, if that's what you're asking," Avery responded, her tone heavy with guilt.

This time, Caitlin did put a hand on Avery's shoulder, and the girl glanced up at her. "Let us help you, Avery."

Avery's brow furrowed in confusion. "Help me?"

"Yes. Whatever it is that you've been through, we can help you cope with it," Caitlin offered.

A slow exhale came from Avery's chest as she tried to clear her head, dragging a hand through her silver ponytail. A thick lump formed in her throat as she tried to keep the memories out.

"I don't think you guys can help me," she whispered, her eyes brimming with tears.

 _Unless you can bring people back from the dead._

"At least give us a chance," Caitlin begged.

Avery glanced up at her, a faint sad smile on her lips.

 _She's like the perfect mix between Starfire and Raven._

Time was the only thing that would truly help, and right now, Avery was too overwhelmed to be able to figure things out on her own. The chance to have a constant distraction by staying at Star Labs was too good of an offer to pass up.

"Alright," Avery sighed, getting a bright grin from Caitlin at her answer. "What do you want me to do first?"

"Well, considering your powers extend beyond any other meta I've seen, I'd like to run some tests to figure out how they work," Caitlin explained. "If that's ok with you."

Avery shrugged. "Might as well. I don't remember much about how I got them."

"Great," Caitlin beamed. She stood up, taking the charred plate from the table and throwing it in the trash. "Let's get you up to the lab."

Avery cringed. "Can we…call it something else besides a lab?" she asked.

"Sure," Caitlin responded without missing a beat. "What would you rather call it?"

"Like, a testing room or something?" Avery suggested with a shrug.

"That's fine with me," Caitlin said as the two of them left the room.

It only took a couple minutes to find the laboratory. Inside the biggest room was a wide treadmill, and directly below the glass window looking in was a computer monitor with an attached microphone.

"Is that for Barry?" Avery asked, nodding her head towards it.

"Yes. It's how we keep track of his speed," Caitlin answered. "What we need, though, is over here."

Following Caitlin to the opposite side of the room, Avery was unable to stop her jaw from dropping open into a loud yawn.

Caitlin paused, casting her a gentle smile. "Maybe a nap first?"

"I won't argue that suggestion," Avery agreed. Her eyelids were starting to feel heavy again, her body drained by the stress of the last couple days.

Caitlin guided her back to the medical bay, and Avery immediately noticed the room was back to normal, except for the shelving unit that she had knocked over was now missing.

 _Barry probably cleaned my mess up._

"I can try to adjust the bed to make it more comfortable," Caitlin offered.

Avery waved her off. "Don't worry about it." She pushed her heels up, swiftly transforming into a silver Labrador as she jumped up onto the white sheets. Turning in a couple circles, Avery plopped down with a heavy sigh, falling into slumber moments later.

Smiling softly, Caitlin turned off the lights. "Sleep tight," she whispered. She paused in the doorway for a moment, pondering over Avery's reactions during their earlier conversation. The girl's first thought for punishment had been death, and she had panicked after Caitlin had said…something. Caitlin looked upon the sleeping dog form upon the bed, her voice a worried murmur.

"What happened to you, Avery?"


	4. Chapter 4

It wasn't until later that night, close to 6pm, that Caitlin met up with Barry and Cisco again. This time, however, Dr. Wells was there to greet them.

"So. I hear we have a newcomer in our facility," he stated, not looking too pleased about it.

"Yes," Caitlin replied hesitantly.

"Is there a reason you all failed to inform me?" he asked, individually staring them down.

No one wanted to answer.

"Barry found her yesterday in the late afternoon and brought her here," Caitlin tried to explain. "The frostbite on her body was –"

"I'm not looking for her sob story, Snow," Wells reprimanded. "I want to know why we are keeping a meta loose in this facility."

"She's not from here," Barry said. "She didn't get her powers from the particle accelerator explosion."

Dr. Wells' eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"She came from Jump City," Cisco said.

"Impossible. That's more than 600 miles away."

"That's what she said," Cisco said with a shrug, his expression slightly annoyed. "I couldn't find anything about her in Jump City's database, so I can't exactly prove it."

Caitlin stepped forward to interject. "I can, Dr. Wells. Avery's powers extend beyond just shapeshifting."

Barry and Cisco exchanged confused glances.

"Cait, what do you mean?" Barry asked.

She turned, giving them an apologetic look. "When I was talking to Avery in the storage room, I said something that must have triggered a painful memory because she went into some sort of trance and her hand burst into flames. She snapped out of it fairly quickly, and then admitted that she can control fire and wind, as well as shapeshift."

"She has three different powers?" Barry asked, looking at Caitlin with a mixture of awe and impressed.

"That right there proves she's not from here. No other meta we've met can do that," Cisco claimed, his emotions matching Barry's.

"Which is all the more reason she should be in the pipeline," Wells stated flatly, the anger slipping into his tone. "This girl is dangerous."

"There's more," Caitlin spoke quickly, regaining her colleague's attention. However, the words that came out were no more than a hushed whisper. "I think Avery was a test subject."

"What?" Barry and Cisco exclaimed in unison.

Dr. Wells looked at Caitlin curiously. "What makes you say that, Snow?"

"She was very uncomfortable with the word "lab" and specifically asked me to call it something else," Caitlin explained. "Avery also told me that her parents were murdered when she was only 4 years old. I…think she might've been kidnapped."

Cisco shook his head. "Guys, shouldn't we just ask Avery herself?"

"You mean instead of talking about me behind my back?"

Everyone jumped. The room became eerily quiet as they all realized Avery had been standing in the doorway, her azure eyes glaring at them.

 _I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I haven't explained much yet._

Stepping forward into the room, her gaze locked on the gentleman in the remote wheelchair, and immediately she froze in place. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Something wasn't right. A low snarl rumbled in her chest, barely loud enough for them to hear. The way he carried himself appeared confident and calculative, and yet his aura felt…sinister. It was unsettling.

A forced smile appeared on the gentleman's lips as he wheeled himself towards her. "You must be Avery," he greeted, extending a hand to her.

She eyed it, hesitantly reaching out to shake it. "Let me guess. You're Dr. Wells," she said coldly. Avery stepped away quickly, moving towards Caitlin, but never taking her eyes off of him. "You want answers about me? Fine," she snapped, glaring around the room. "But only when I give them. No snooping around on the internet."

Her gaze locked on Cisco, and he held his hands up, backing away from the computer. "Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I couldn't find anything."

"That's because you were searching for the wrong thing," she said pointedly, her brow furrowing.

The same pained expression crossed her face again, and Cisco felt a pang of guilt in his chest. What was this girl hiding from them? What was she running from?

Dr. Wells turned his wheelchair around to face the young girl, a tight-lipped smile on his face. "And what should we be searching for, Ms. York?"

Avery's gaze shifted to the man, a snarl on her lips. "None of _your_ damn business."

"Alright, hey, knock it off guys," Barry interjected, stepping between the two of them. "She just told us we'll get answers over time, Dr. Wells."

The man stared past Barry at Avery, his expression never changing. "Trust goes both ways, Avery York," he said icily. "Do not expect us to drop everything to your disposal simply because you showed up on our city's front stoop."

"I don't want your sympathy," she barked, her voice a few notches louder than before.

"Guys!" Cisco shouted. "Enough already!"

Caitlin stepped forward, placing her hands on Avery's shoulders. "Come on, Avery. We still have those tests to run," she said hurriedly.

Avery's eyes remained locked on Dr. Wells as she allowed Caitlin to usher her from the room. Whatever the man was up to, it was not going to end well for whoever was involved. He was scheming something, and although it likely was none of her business, Avery intended to find out exactly what his plan was.


	5. Chapter 5

The four of them walked into the lab, tensions running high.

"Uhh, could someone please explain to me what the hell that was all about back there?" Cisco exclaimed, looking directly at Avery.

Barry and Caitlin's heads turned to her as well. Avery leaned against the wall, letting out an annoyed huff as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I don't trust him," she snarled, her nostrils flaring.

"You just met him," Barry noted. He sounded almost disappointed with her.

"First impressions are everything, right? There's something off about him, and I don't like it. Therefore, I don't trust him," Avery explained.

Barry shook his head. "Avery, Dr. Wells is the one who founded Star Labs and helped build the particle accelerator. He's done everything he can to help us catch the meta-humans in Central City and teach me how to become faster."

"I don't care what he's done," Avery snorted. "My instincts are telling me not to trust him, so I won't. Simple as that."

The three of them looked to each other with confused expressions.

"Won't you at least give him a chance?" Caitlin asked.

Avery shook her head. "Nope. I've had these powers long enough to know when to trust my instincts. That's why I'm still alive."

Nobody knew what to say, and the conversation was left hanging. Caitlin approached the medical cart, pulling together various bits of equipment. Avery leaned away, eyeing her actions warily.

"What is all that for?"

"In order to figure out how your powers work, I need to be able to monitor your body on a molecular level. These scanners will record your cells as you shapeshift, allowing us to see what exactly is going on," Caitlin explained.

Avery's brow furrowed, her gaze straying to the small electrical devices being put on her hips, collarbone, and temple. It was as if they magnetized to her skin on contact. "Do I have to wear so many?" she complained.

"Unless you want me to run the same test over and over – yes," Caitlin said pointedly.

Avery rolled her eyes. "Let's just get this over with."

Caitlin ushered her into the room with the treadmill as Barry and Cisco trailed behind.

"Uh, how exactly is this room going to help us?" Barry asked.

"The treadmill is already programmed to monitor vitals, like heart rate and blood pressure. I just need Cisco to wirelessly connect the devices to it so that we can monitor her bodily systems as well," Caitlin explained.

"I'm on it," Cisco said with a grin.

He turned heel and darted for the computer on the other side of the viewing window. It only took a few seconds before his voice sounded over the room's intercom. "Got it. We should be all set to go."

Caitlin turned to Avery, the excitement showing on her face. "Avery, you can choose what you shapeshift into, but wait until I give the word, ok?"

Avery nodded.

"Alright. Let's do this," Barry said with a grin.

He and Caitlin stepped outside the room as Avery started walking on the treadmill. It felt weird being in human form on this thing.

 _I should be running…I_ want _to run._

"Alright, Avery, whenever you're ready," Caitlin's voice chimed overhead.

 _Don't have to tell me twice._

In the blink of an eye, Avery's human feet were replaced with pawpads as she shifted to a silver wolf. Walking would not be enough in this form, and she sped up to a steady trot. The heart of a wolf gave her this wild rush of independence and made her feel so alive. It only took a few moments before she broke out into a full speed run. Despite her metallic surroundings, she loved the wind whipping through her fur and the thundering beat of her paws through her mind.

"I am literally so jealous of her right now," Cisco commented, eliciting a snicker from Barry.

"Avery, go ahead and shift again," Caitlin's voice called out.

Snarling quietly to herself, the silver wolf jumped as if she were going over a fence, and her paws came down twice the size they were before as she shifted into that of a tiger. Her pace slowed back down to a brisk walk, her white striped tail flickering back and forth. It had been a while since she'd used this form, and her paws felt awkward on the treadmill.

"I wonder how many different animals she can shapeshift into," Barry wondered aloud.

Avery lifted her head towards the glass window, a smirk spreading across her maw. She stopped on the treadmill.

"Guys, what is she doing?" Cisco asked.

In response, Avery stamped on the treadmill, and a burst of flame erupted from her front paw. Within seconds, the flames enveloped her body, and where a tiger had once been, a silver dragon now stood in its place.

"Holy crap!" Cisco shouted as all three of them jumped back from the window. "That's a dragon!"

"Yea, Cisco, she's a dragon!" Barry exclaimed, echoing his comrade's surprise.

From inside the room, small puffs of smoke streamed from Avery's nostrils as she huffed with laughter. Extending her wings, she practically filled the entire room. Caitlin stepped back up to the computer.

"What else can you shapeshift into, Avery?" she asked over the intercom.

The dragon's head tilted thoughtfully, and after a moment, she covered her body with her wings. The reptilian wingspan changed to feathers, and when she reopened them, a gryphon had replaced the dragon.

"This is…astonishing," Caitlin murmured.

"You're telling me," Cisco agreed, his eyes glued to the fantasy creature standing near the treadmill.

A frown crossed Caitlin's face. "I'm just not sure we have the technology to properly evaluate her powers. The scanners are analyzing at such a high rate, they might not be catching everything we're looking for."

"Are you able to tell where her powers are coming from?" Barry asked.

"Maybe…I'll have to study the data for a while longer before I'll have any definite answers," Caitlin responded. She reached out to the intercom. "Avery, I think we're good for now. You can come out."

The gryphon nodded, and Avery shifted back into human form. She joined the other three in the lab room, a smug grin on her face. Caitlin immediately stepped forward to remove the devices from her body.

"Surprise," Avery smirked.

"Ha, ha, real funny," Cisco said sarcastically, though he failed to repress the smile upon his face.

"Avery, how are you able to do that?" Barry asked in awe. "Dragons and gryphons don't even exist."

Avery shrugged. "I've always been able to shapeshift into any creature I want, real or fantasy."

Caitlin held the devices in her hand as she bounced on the balls of her feet. "Let's go find out why."

The four of them walked back to the control center. Dr. Wells was nowhere to be found, much to Avery's relief. Cisco wirelessly connected the devices to the main computer terminal while Caitlin started studying the data. Barry turned to Avery as they stood in the center of the room.

"Have you ever had to use your dragon form before?" he asked.

"Oh yea, all the time," she responded, a faint smile on her face. "Most criminals in Jump City didn't know how to respond to a dragon, so it was usually pretty easy to catch them in that form." Her expression clouded as her thoughts wandered back to her previous companions.

 _It was always easy to catch them with the team at my side…_

Avery's eyes began to blur, and she quickly shut them to keep the tears from falling.

 _Don't do it. Don't let them see. They can't know what I did._

"Avery?" Barry murmured. "You alright?"

She exhaled slowly, reopening her eyes. "Yea, I'm fine," she muttered. Avery was hesitant to meet Barry's gaze, for fear of her emotions toppling over.

 _They're all so understanding. I_ want _to trust them…but I can't._

Her thoughts were interrupted by an exclamation from Cisco. "Oh. My gosh." The grin on his face was so wide, Avery feared it would split in half.

"Avery, your biology is unlike anything I've ever seen," Caitlin said in awe. "Every cell within your body has a tiny nanochip inside the nucleus, which is directly communicating with your nervous system. When you decide what you want to shapeshift into, the nanochips activate the switch between the nuclear DNA in your cells and catalyze the protein-altering reactions, which is why you can transform so quickly."

Avery stared at her with a blank expression.

"Basically, you have technology in your body that allows your mind to have direct control over the form you take," Caitlin summarized. "As for your cellular regeneration, you have a mutation within your genes that allows your cells to rapidly reproduce. What amazes me is how the nanochips _also_ regenerate and attach themselves to the newly created cells. Such technology is…far beyond anything I've seen."

"What about her wind and fire abilities?" Barry asked.

"I'd have to run more tests for those," Caitlin explained with a shrug.

Avery shook her head. "Don't worry about those, Caitlin. I don't intend to use those powers ever again," she said solemnly.

Cisco frowned. "Why not? You've got three superpowers – take advantage of it!"

"No," Avery growled, her eyes shooting daggers in his direction.

Cisco raised an unamused brow at her, which only elicited further annoyance.

A low snarl rumbled in Avery's throat. "When I say I am or am not going to do something, I mean it," she warned.

Cisco put his hands up in surrender. "Got it. My bad," he said stiffly, casting her a wary look.

Barry sighed, shaking his head as he crossed his arms across his chest. "Avery, you can't keep shutting us out like this. We're just trying to help."

"All you guys have done so far is give me pizza that I ignited in my hand and run tests to find out how my powers work," Avery snapped, her tongue lashing out.

"Because that's all we can do!" Barry shot back with equal frustration. "You won't tell us why you're here, who you know, or what happened in Jump City that made you want to leave."

Caitlin and Cisco stepped around the computer terminal towards the pair. Avery's hands balled up into fists at her side, and she was visibly shaking with anger.

"Don't you get it?" Avery hissed. "I _can't_ tell you. I would if I could, but I _can't._ "

"Yes, you can," Barry shot back. "You're choosing not to."

Avery shook her head, her teeth digging into her lower lip as she tried to bite back the tears. Her voice trembled as she tried to keep her composure. "You don't understand."

Caitlin took a step towards her. "Then tell us so that we can," she begged earnestly. "We want to know what happened to you."

"No, you don't," Avery whispered, inhaling sharply as she held back the tears. "You don't want to carry the same burden I do."

Barry sighed quietly and took a few steps towards her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Avery, we _all_ have burdens. Some are heavier than others, but they're still there, and trying to carry it alone – its only going to weigh you down even more."

"We share our burdens to make them a little lighter," Caitlin chimed in, offering her a small smile.

Avery's gaze shifted between the three of them, her brow furrowed with uncertainty. "You guys are _absolutely sure_ you want to know?" she asked. All traces of humor were gone from her tone of voice.

"Yes!" Cisco exclaimed a little too forcefully.

Avery cast him a hard glance, exhaling slowly. "Fine. If you want to know, then search the Jump City database for – "

"The truth that she is _dangerous_ , just like I warned all of you."

Dr. Wells wheeled into the room, an angry expression upon his face. Avery snarled loudly at him, and had she been in any sort of canine form, her ears would've been pinned to her skull. Barry, Caitlin, and Cisco all looked at him with confusion.

"Dr. Wells, what are you talking about?" Caitlin asked.

Harrison directed his wheelchair into the center of the room. Avery stood off to the side while the other three gathered around the computer monitors.

"If you want the truth, look up the name 'Silverwings'," Dr. Wells stated, a hint of satisfaction in his voice.

Avery's eyes widened. "How do you know that name?" she snapped, taking a threatening step towards him.

Dr. Wells cast her and Cisco an unimpressed look. "Your story, Mrs. York, is the most exciting thing to happen in Jump City for quite some time. Its all over their news stations. Clearly, Mr. Ramon did not think to check those first."

Cisco's gaze shifted down in embarrassment, but Avery's face grew red hot.

"How _dare_ you," she growled, her hand balling up into a fist. "I told you _not_ to go digging up information about me."

Dr. Wells spun his chair to face her, his eyes flashing with anger. "My team deserves to know when they are in the presence of a murderer."

Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin all froze in place. They simultaneously looked over at Avery, varying expressions of shock and confusion on their faces.

"Avery, what is he talking about?" Caitlin asked, her voice trembling. Whether she believed Dr. Wells or not, she was visibly shaken by his statement.

Without taking his eyes off of her, Dr. Wells explained himself. "Avery York was known as 'Silverwings' in Jump City, and worked with a team of meta-humans called the Teen Titans."

"Shut up…" Avery snarled, her voice barely above a murmur.

Dr. Wells ignored her and continued. "For some unknown reason, she betrayed and murdered her fellow teammates – "

"I said shut up."

" – burned down their headquarters, and then ran away from the city like a coward."

"Shut up!"

A forceful whirlwind whipped through the small room, sending pieces of paper and small equipment flying across the room. Everyone had to cover their eyes to keep anything from blinding them, and when they looked up again, Avery was gone.

"Oh crap," Cisco groaned. "Where did she go?"

"Gimme a second," Barry said. He zoomed out of the room for a few moments and was back in the blink of an eye. "She's not here."

"What?" Caitlin exclaimed. She immediately stepped forward to the computer and began tapping away on the screen. "Cisco, how do we find her?"

"I-I don't know. She doesn't have any dark matter in her system, so I can't track her – unless…" Cisco quickly stepped up to the monitor and furiously inputted some information.

"What is it?" Caitlin demanded.

"Her nanochips. I can see if the computer can track the technology in her DNA," Cisco explained.

"It's worth a shot," Caitlin sighed.

While the two of them hovered over the computer, Barry turned towards Dr. Wells with an angry expression.

"Why did you do that? She was just beginning to trust us, and now that trust is shattered," he snapped.

Dr. Wells raised a brow at him. "You should be thanking me, Mr. Allen. I saved you three from making a huge mistake."

"Mistake? Avery has three different superpowers that she could use against us if she decides we are her enemies! How was befriending her a mistake?" Barry shouted.

Dr. Wells did not respond for a few moments. "You may see a fault in my actions, Barry, but I promise you, when you find out the same information about her that I did, you will see that I was right."

With that, Dr. Wells left the Star Labs hub, disappearing down the hallway. Barry sat down heavily in a nearby chair with a loud groan.

"What do we do now?" Barry asked.

"Shh!" Cisco hissed. "Its almost done."

Barry lifted his head, getting up and moving to look over Caitlin's shoulder. The computer beeped as the triangle on the screen began zooming in on a location.

"Got her. She's…" Cisco looked up, an exasperated expression on his face.

"She's where, Cisco?" Barry asked.

"She's on the roof," Cisco replied flatly.


End file.
